Use the sites discussed in class to (1) assemble information about your school and (2) write one or more paragraphs for each type of information that you find.You should be able to combine these paragraphs, along with an introduction and conclusion to create a free standing, coherent, evidence-based description of your school.
Be sure that each of your paragraphs includes:
A strong topic sentence.
An explanation of why the data you chose to cite relates to the subject you are addressing, e.g. you should state why you feel that the student/teacher ratio informs your judgement about the school's ability to provide high quality teaching. These sentences should be based on the definitions of some of these measures on the InfoWorks site, but can also include your own reasoning about the subject.
Multiple pieces of specific data to support your claim. Each measure should include a comparison so tat the reader can judge whether the value is relatively high or low.
Include the students' view of the school when possible.
Note: Tables are not provided because it is possible to just copy and paste the tables from the Infoworks site directly in this page!
Portsmouth Middle School is not a very diverse school compared to the state of Rhode Island. The largest grade level is eighth graders with 37% of the population in that grade. Comparably, the state average is 33.4%. In both the state and the school, the population of boys only exceeds that of girls by around one percent. The majority of the students were white with 84.5% of the population, whereas the state average is 67.1%. Students of more that one race were equal to African American students with 5.8% of the population. Overall, Portsmouth Middle School is a relatively unvaried.
The student achievement in the school is above-average in comparison to the state of Rhode Island. In every area that students were tested in on the NECAP Assessments, the students were always proficient. sixth grade math was 85% proficient while the state average was 60%. Eighth grade reading was 86% proficient for Portsmouth Middle School compared to 61% for RI. 68.4% of the students plan to attend a four year college. All of the targets were met in the AYP Report Card and there were no areas that need improvement.
Teachers in Portsmouth are qualified and their students have reflected their methods when responding to surveys. Although the percent of teachers that had emergency certifications between 2010 and 2011 are double that of the state average, it is still only 2%. No teachers are not highly qualified, whereas 3% of Rhode Island teachers are not. The teacher to student ratio is the same for both at 1:11. When polled, 51.3% of students from Portsmouth said that all of their teachers ask them to use facts to support their opinions in writing assignments while the state average is only 41.2%. The following table lists the categories that the students had to respond to and the results of teachers who did the actions.
Family,Community, and Home Life
Information Reported By Schools
Student Characteristics (2010-2011)
This School
Statewide
Student Eligibility for Subsidized Lunch
12%
43%
Students from Various Racial/Ethnic Backgrounds
—
—
Students Receiving ESL/Bilingual Education Services
The families and community of the students seems to be better off than the rest of the state. Only 12% of Portsmouth Middle School students are eligible for subsidized lunch. The state average is 43%. The significant difference shows how the majority of families of the students in Portsmouth have above-average incomes and can afford to buy their children the lunches at the full price. The community is predominantly English-speaking, where less than 1% of the students receive ESL/Bilingual Education Services, compared to Rhode Island's 5%. A student whose first language is English is automatically at an advantage because there are no language barriers to overcome while performing in school. When asked, 56% of Portsmouth students strongly agreed with the statement the they feel like they have a friend they can talk about their problems with. That is only 2.5% higher than the state average. The students are able to discuss their problems which will enable them to eventually focus on their studies more.
The students of Portsmouth Middle School have a relatively high attendance rate, but a variety of reasons for skipping school. The Portsmouth attendance rate is 95% with only 9% of the population falling under the category of chronic absenteeism. Rhode Island has 16% of the population falling under the category. Surprisingly, 74% of students in Portsmouth admit to skipping school once or twice a year. That is in compassion to the 63.3% statewide. The school falls below the state average in the other frequencies. Reasons for skipping school vary and seem to play a large role in the truancy of students. While 53.5% of Portsmouth students skipped school because they did not get enough sleep, 50.1% statewide said the same. The table below lists the other reasons for skipping and the percentage of students who answered that way.
Portsmouth Middle School is well-funded from its community and can provide for the students. The district per pupil expenditure is $12,850.00, which shows how much the district puts into each student. The median family income for the district it $68,577.00 which is customary for many middle to upper class families. The students are coming from families without economic hardships and are able to be sure that they will have the materials needed to learn. When asked, 52.4% of the students disagreed that students in their classes needed to share books. The average for the state of Rhode Island is that 51% disagree. When asked if their gym has enough equipment for all of the students, 61.3% of Portsmouth students agreed and 56.7% of students statewide agreed. With the students from Portsmouth having the right funding, they are assured that their education will be available through their resources.
Portsmouth Middle School
Emily Markey
Use the sites discussed in class to (1) assemble information about your school and (2) write one or more paragraphs for each type of information that you find.You should be able to combine these paragraphs, along with an introduction and conclusion to create a free standing, coherent, evidence-based description of your school.
Be sure that each of your paragraphs includes:
Note: Tables are not provided because it is possible to just copy and paste the tables from the Infoworks site directly in this page!
Useful Sources:
School Demographics and Geographical Location
Summary Paragraph(s)
Portsmouth Middle School is not a very diverse school compared to the state of Rhode Island. The largest grade level is eighth graders with 37% of the population in that grade. Comparably, the state average is 33.4%. In both the state and the school, the population of boys only exceeds that of girls by around one percent. The majority of the students were white with 84.5% of the population, whereas the state average is 67.1%. Students of more that one race were equal to African American students with 5.8% of the population. Overall, Portsmouth Middle School is a relatively unvaried.Student Achievement
Information Reported By Schools
InfoWorks LIVE! A Rhode Island Education Data Initiative - RIDE.ri.gov. (n.d.). InfoWorks LIVE! A Rhode Island Education Data Initiative - RIDE.ri.gov. Retrieved October 26, 2011, from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/portsmouth-middle-school
Information Reported By Students
AYP Report Card
Summary Paragraph(s)
The student achievement in the school is above-average in comparison to the state of Rhode Island. In every area that students were tested in on the NECAP Assessments, the students were always proficient. sixth grade math was 85% proficient while the state average was 60%. Eighth grade reading was 86% proficient for Portsmouth Middle School compared to 61% for RI. 68.4% of the students plan to attend a four year college. All of the targets were met in the AYP Report Card and there were no areas that need improvement.Teaching
Information Reported By Schools
Information Reported by Students
Summary Paragraph(s)
Teachers in Portsmouth are qualified and their students have reflected their methods when responding to surveys. Although the percent of teachers that had emergency certifications between 2010 and 2011 are double that of the state average, it is still only 2%. No teachers are not highly qualified, whereas 3% of Rhode Island teachers are not. The teacher to student ratio is the same for both at 1:11. When polled, 51.3% of students from Portsmouth said that all of their teachers ask them to use facts to support their opinions in writing assignments while the state average is only 41.2%. The following table lists the categories that the students had to respond to and the results of teachers who did the actions.Family,Community, and Home Life
Information Reported By Schools
Information Reported by Students
Summary Paragraph(s)
The families and community of the students seems to be better off than the rest of the state. Only 12% of Portsmouth Middle School students are eligible for subsidized lunch. The state average is 43%. The significant difference shows how the majority of families of the students in Portsmouth have above-average incomes and can afford to buy their children the lunches at the full price. The community is predominantly English-speaking, where less than 1% of the students receive ESL/Bilingual Education Services, compared to Rhode Island's 5%. A student whose first language is English is automatically at an advantage because there are no language barriers to overcome while performing in school. When asked, 56% of Portsmouth students strongly agreed with the statement the they feel like they have a friend they can talk about their problems with. That is only 2.5% higher than the state average. The students are able to discuss their problems which will enable them to eventually focus on their studies more.Safe and Supportive Schools
Information Reported By Schools
InfoWorks LIVE! A Rhode Island Education Data Initiative - RIDE.ri.gov. (n.d.). InfoWorks LIVE! A Rhode Island Education Data Initiative - RIDE.ri.gov. Retrieved October 26, 2011, from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/portsmouth-middle-school
Information Reported by Students
Summary Paragraph(s)
The students of Portsmouth Middle School have a relatively high attendance rate, but a variety of reasons for skipping school. The Portsmouth attendance rate is 95% with only 9% of the population falling under the category of chronic absenteeism. Rhode Island has 16% of the population falling under the category. Surprisingly, 74% of students in Portsmouth admit to skipping school once or twice a year. That is in compassion to the 63.3% statewide. The school falls below the state average in the other frequencies. Reasons for skipping school vary and seem to play a large role in the truancy of students. While 53.5% of Portsmouth students skipped school because they did not get enough sleep, 50.1% statewide said the same. The table below lists the other reasons for skipping and the percentage of students who answered that way.Funding and Resources
Information Reported By Schools
Information Reported by Students
Summary Paragraph(s)
Portsmouth Middle School is well-funded from its community and can provide for the students. The district per pupil expenditure is $12,850.00, which shows how much the district puts into each student. The median family income for the district it $68,577.00 which is customary for many middle to upper class families. The students are coming from families without economic hardships and are able to be sure that they will have the materials needed to learn. When asked, 52.4% of the students disagreed that students in their classes needed to share books. The average for the state of Rhode Island is that 51% disagree. When asked if their gym has enough equipment for all of the students, 61.3% of Portsmouth students agreed and 56.7% of students statewide agreed. With the students from Portsmouth having the right funding, they are assured that their education will be available through their resources.